Dr. Ileana BORȚUN

Ileana BORȚUN (b. 1979) received her PhD in Philosophy from the University of Bucharest (in 2014), with the thesis Shaping an Existential Ethics by Identifying the Connections between Metaphysics and Totalitarianism, arguing for the possibility of developing an ethics starting from Heidegger’s existential analytic from Being and Time, through a constructive dialogue especially with Lévinas’s and Arendt’s critiques of it and by taking the kinship between metaphysics (in Heidegger’s interpretation) and totalitarianism (in Arendt’s interpretation) as a negative reference point.

Ileana Borţun also received, in 2002, a BA in Communication Sciences (from the Communication and Public Relations Department – the National School of Political Sciences and Public Administration, Bucharest); in 2003, an MA in Nationalism Studies (from the Nationalism Studies Department – C.E.U., Budapest); in 2008, a BA in Philosophy and, in 2010, an MA in Philosophy (from the Philosophy Department – University of Bucharest).

Publications List

  • Ileana Borţun, “Substitution and Mit(da)sein: An Existential Interpretation of the Responsibility for the Other”, in the volume: Heidegger, Levinas, Derrida: The Question of Difference (Contributions to Phenomenology 86), eds. Lisa Foran and Rozemund Uljée, pp. 1-15. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2016;
  • Ileana Borţun, “Locul subiectivităţii în înţelegerea operei de artă: Heidegger vs. Schapiro”[“The Place of Subjectivity in Understanding the Work of Art: Heidegger vs. Schapiro”], in the volume: Mădălina Diaconu & Christian Ferencz-Flatz (eds.), Estetica fenomenologică după centenar. Perspective istorice şi tendinţe actuale [Phenomenological Aesthetics after Centenary. Historical Perspectives and Current Tendencies], “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University Press, Iaşi, 2016;
  • Ileana Borţun, “Destrucţia conceptului de putere în ontologia politică a Hannei Arendt”[“The Deconstruction of the Concept of Power in Hannah Arendt’s Political Ontology”], in the volume: Diana Mărgărit & Ioan- Alexandru Tofan (eds.), Bestiarul puterii [The Bestiary of Power], “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University Press, Iaşi, 2014, pp. 241-261;
  • Ileana Borţun, “Thinking as Translation. The Silent Dialogue with Myself as Another”, published on-line in 2014 by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (http://e-archivo.uc3m.es/handle/10016/18377), as part of the proceedings of the international colloquium “Thinking about Translation: Philosophy on the Way between Languages”, organized by the Department of Humanities: Philosophy, Language and Literature (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid), held in Madrid, on 24-26 September 2012;
  • Ileana Borţun, “Iertarea ca promisiune de a uita” [“Forgiveness as a Promise to Forget”], in the volume: Paul Marinescu & Christian Ferencz-Flatz (eds.), Figuri ale vulnerabilităţii existenţiale. De la uitarea de sine la uitarea fiinţei [Aspects of Existential Vulnerability. From the Forgottenness of Oneself to the Forgottenness of Being], “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University Press, Iaşi, 2013, pp. 209-228;
  • Ileana Borţun, “Work and Action in a Society of Labourers”, Studia UBB Philosophia, Vol. 58 (2013), No. 1, pp. 5-14;
  • Ileana Borţun, “«Neguţătorul» Shylock” [“Shylock «The Merchant»”], in the volume: Gabriel Liiceanu & Gabriel Cercel, Întâlnire în jurul unei palme Zen [Meeting around a Zen Teaching], Humanitas, Bucharest, 2011, pp. 264-283.

    PAPERS PRESENTED

    – at conferences, colloquiums, workshops etc. –

    International presentations:

    • The Existential Status of Friendship. A Phenomenological Perspective on Aristotle’s Philia, held at the international conference “2400 Aristotle”, organised by the Philosophy Department, University of Bucharest — Bucharest, 25-26 November 2016.
    • Imagining Oneself as Another. Imagination in Arendt and Heidegger, held at the research seminar “Imagination as an Act: Phenomenological Approaches” – the 10th edition of the annual research seminar organized by the centre of research Phénoménologies (Département de Philosophie, Université de Liège) — Liège, 25-29 April 2016.
    • In Search of Heidegger’s “Common Sense”. The Political Relevance of Mitverstehen, held at the 14thAnnual Conference of the Nordic Society for Phenomenology, entitled “Phenomenology and Beyond”, organized at the University of Iceland — Reykjavik, 21-23 April 2016.
    • Authenticity and Friendship: From Heidegger’s “Anyone” to Arendt’s “Common Sense”, held at the conference “Conventionalism. Heidegger’s «Anyone» and Contemporary Social Theory”, organized by Hans Bernhard Schmid & Gerhard Thonhauser, Österreichische Gesellschaft für Phänomenologie & Department of Philosophy (Universität Wien) — Vienna, 4-6 December 2014.
    • Rethinking Lévinas’s Critique of Heidegger’s Ontology: The Ethical Significance of the Existential Analytic, held at the 12thAnnual Conference of the Nordic Society for Phenomenology, entitled “At the Limits of Phenomenology”, organized by the research group Subjectivity, Historicity and Communality (SHC), Philosophical Society of Finland (University of Helsinki) — Helsinki, 24-26 April 2014.
    • Substitution as Fürsorge. A Possible Reconciliation Between Lévinas and Heidegger, held at the Summer School “Lévinas – Ethics, Politics and the Problem of Violence”, coordinated by Prof. Simon Critchley (Hans Jonas Professor at The New School for Social Research, New York) at Tilburg University — Tilburg, 20-27 July 2013.
    • The Forgottenness of Action. The Fundamental Significance of Deconstruction in Arendt’s Phenomenology of the Political, held at the 11thAnnual Conference of the Nordic Society for Phenomenology, entitled “The Significance of Phenomenology”, organized by the Centre for Subjectivity Research (University of Copenhagen) — Copenhagen, 18-20 April 2013.
    • Substitution and Mit(da)sein: A Question of Priority, held at the conference “Between Heidegger, Lévinas & Derrida”, organized by the School of Philosophy (University College Dublin) — Dublin, 8-9 February 2013.
    • Thinking as Translation. The Silent Dialogue with Myself as Another, held at the colloquium “Thinking about Translation: Philosophy on the Way between Languages”, organized by the Department of Humanities: Philosophy, Language and Literature (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) — Madrid, 24-26 September 2012.
    • Work and Action in a Society of Labourers, held at the international colloquium “A Part of Life: The Meaning of Work Today”, organized by the European College Foundation (Cluj-Napoca, Romania) — Cluj-Napoca, 17-18 May 2012.

    National presentations:

    • Identitatea lărgită. Exercitarea facultăţii de judecare ca ospitalitate[Enlarged Identity. The Exercise of the Faculty of Judgement as Hospitality], held at the annual colloquium of the Romanian Society for Phenomenology, entitled “Community – Identity – Difference. Phenomenological Perspectives”, organised in collaboration with The Research Institute of the University of Bucharest and with The “Alexandru Dragomir” – Institute for Philosophy — Philosophy Department (University of Bucharest), 16-17 November 2016.
    • Locul subiectivităţii în înţelegerea operei de artă: Heidegger vs Schapiro[The Place of Subjectivity in Understanding the Work of Art: Heidegger vs Schapiro], held at the annual colloquium of the Romanian Society for Phenomenology, entitled “Estetica fenomenologică după centenar. Perspective istorice şi tendinţe actuale” [“Phenomenological Aesthetics after Centenary. Historical Perspectives and Current Tendencies”] – In memoriam Walter Biemel (1918-2015) — Philosophy Department (University of Bucharest), 21 November 2015.
    • Acţiune şi nemurire: a fi sau a nu fi ţinut minte [Action and Immortality: To Be or Not to Be Remembered], held at the workshop entitled “Urmă – Sediment – Memorie corporală” [“Trace – Sediment – Corporeal Memory”], organized by The “Alexandru Dragomir” – Institute for Philosophy and by the Romanian Society for Phenomenology — Lovinescu House (Bucharest), 24 June 2013.
    • Iertarea ca promisiune de a uita [Forgiveness as a Promise to Forget], held at the 9th annual colloquium of the Romanian Society for Phenomenology and the Centre for Research in Phenomenology (University of Bucharest), entitled “Figuri ale vulnerabilităţii existenţiale. De la uitarea de sine la uitarea fiinţei” [“Aspects of Existential Vulnerability. From the Forgottenness of Oneself to the Forgottenness of Being”] — Philosophy Department (University of Bucharest), 18-19 October 2012.
    • “Neguţătorul” Shylock[Shylock “The Merchant”], held at the Unconventional Festival “Respir Shakespeare” [“I Breathe Shakespeare”], organized by professor Sebastian Grama at the Philosophy Department, University of Bucharest — 16-19 November 2011.
    • Cum se conturează un proiect de cercetare? Studiu de caz: Proiectul unei etici existenţiale [How to Develop a Research Project. Case Study: The Project of an Existential Ethics], held at the research workshop organised by the Centre for the Logic, History and Philosophy of Science (Philosophy Department, University of Bucharest) — 24 November 2010.
    • Configurarea unei etici existenţiale ca hermeneutică a conlocuirii [Shaping an Existential Ethics as Hermeneutics of Dwelling-Together], held at the 7th annual colloquium of the Romanian Society for Phenomenology and the Centre for Research in Phenomenology (University of Bucharest), entitled “Fenomenologie şi etică” [“Phenomenology and Ethics”] — Philosophy Department (University of Bucharest), 21-23 October 2010.